Your finances

Planning for your financial futureBefore effective treatments for HIV became available, the outlook for people diagnosed with HIV was poor. As such it was not uncommon for men who did not believe they were going to live until older age to stop looking after their finances, or planning for their financial future.

Some men diagnosed with HIV still think this way and end up maxing out their credit cards and building up huge debts. Other men decide to stop paying into their pensions, or cash in whatever they have already saved. This often leaves men having to cope with huge debts and nothing saved for retirement. This can leave them in a very distressing situation, coping both with HIV and immense financial worry.

With effective treatments for HIV meaning that many people can now expect to live much longer, looking after your finances and planning for your financial future is just as important as it is for everyone else. If you need help or advice about your finances, or about dealing with debt, go to the section on financial advice later on this page.

MortgagesIt used to be very difficult for people with HIV to get a mortgage due to mortgage lenders requiring you to take out life insurance to cover the mortgage in the event of your death. It is now possible to get limited life insurance if you have HIV, although it’s not certain that this would satisfy a mortgage lender who required life insurance.

However, these days some mortgage lenders do not require you to get life insurance, and so approaching one of these would probably be a better option. If you are thinking of getting a mortgage then getting some professional financial advice about exactly which lenders to approach would be a good idea.

You can find gay friendly financial service providers through the Gay Business Association. You can find details about this in the section below on financial advice.

Financial adviceIf you have problems with debt, StepChange (formerly the the Consumer Credit Counselling Service or CCCS) provides free and confidential debt advice. Call 0800 138 1111 or visit the StepChange website for more information.

Alternatively, the National Debtline also provides free confidential and independent advice on how to deal with debt problems. Call 0808 808 4000 or visit www.nationaldebtline.co.uk.

If you want to speak to a financial advisor, you can find gay friendly financial service providers through the Gay Business Association. Call 08707 429 249 or visit www.gba.org.uk.

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